BT heads to China to big up British businesses

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BT has gone to China with business secretary Vince Cable in a bid to boost UK trade with the emerging superpower.

The communications giant has established a Customer Innovation Showcase Centre in Beijing to help UK-based multinationals succeed in the Asian country and in neighbouring nations.

BT will also use the centre to showcase how using new technologies, in particular those incorporated in unified communications, can help firms expand in China.

“BT is our oldest telecommunications company, which makes it a British icon in its own right, and this new Customer Innovation Showcase Centre in Beijing shows just how far they have come in expanding their services abroad,” Cable said.

“The centre will help other UK and multinational companies succeed in their business opportunities across Asia, and also help local Chinese corporations operate in other parts of the world. I hope to see it shine as a beacon of successful cutting edge technology to other investors thinking about developing their businesses in China.”

Kevin Taylor, managing director of BT Asia Pacific, was also in China to support the launch of the centre and stress the importance of the Chinese market to the communications firm.

“By offering in China the same leading technologies and services we are reputed for in the UK, we are in the best possible position to help large UK business customers’ expand into China, as well as to support our Chinese corporation increase their ability to do business outside of China,” he added.

Cable and the BT crew joined a consortium of UK businessmen and women who have ventured to China in a bid to boost economic relations between the two nations.

Prime Minister David Cameron has travelled as well, expecting to help British businesses sign deals worth billions.

The UK recently had a victory of sorts over China, when .uk overtook .cn to become the second most common domain in the world.

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